An Open Hand
by Tanglemorph
Summary: It is easier to make a friend by greeting them with an open hand than with a closed fist.


A oneshot about how Cupcake joined Jamie's circle of friends. Some of the points are my own interpretations based on the various character designs from Rise of the Guardians. No romance, just friendship.

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_It is easier to greet someone if you have an open hand instead of a closed fist._

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Jamie stared in horror as wet snow dripped down the back of the most feared kid in the entire fourth grade.

"No, I hit Cupcake!" Pippa's voice whispered behind him.

"You hit Cupcake?" Claude sounded like he was wincing in anticipation of pounding fists.

"She hit Cupcake!" Monty was nasally and nervous; he seemed desperate to keep blame away from himself.

And then another snowball hit Cupcake square in the face, and Jamie's horror increased. She was sure to retaliate, sure to seek vengeance. As his mind worked furiously to try to find a way to quell the situation, he didn't notice a sparkling, frosty, blue mist dancing in Cupcake's eyes. Thus, it came as a great shock as a smile split her face and she started to laugh gleefully.

She entered into the fray in a moment, striking down Claude with a well-thrown snowball and grabbing a snowman's head as a weapon. The rest of the group shrieked with laughter as they tried to avoid her, grabbing half-formed snowballs that had been dropped in the confusion.

As Jamie hid behind his sled and dodged Cupcake, he slipped on an unseen patch of ice and fell onto his make-shift shield. Just as he realized what had happened, his sled had slid down the hill and into traffic. He froze with terror, unable to do anything but scream. By some chance miracle, his sled's path of ice avoided every hazard, and though his heart was still in his throat, he began to laugh, enjoying the ride.

Then he saw the bulldozer. Huge and yellow, it took up the entire street. Even with his luck, there had to be no way that he could survive. It seemed impossible.

It appeared that fate had chosen that day of all days to make the impossible a reality. Jamie's path of ice curved sharply and curved into a ramp, launching the boy into the air. For a second, he was flying, breath caught in his throat and a giant smile on his face.

And then the spell was broken. He came back down to earth directly in front of Thaddeus Burgess, the town's founder. Stumbling, he stood up and proceed to tell his friends; "That was awesome!" Not even a couch hitting him could dampen his spirits, though his mouth did hurt a little. Spitting some blood onto the snow, his tongue found a brand-new hole, right where one of his front teeth had been. A quick glance found it, and he grabbed it, getting to his feet once more.

"Look! I lost a tooth!"

Caleb was impressed. "Dude, that means cash!"

Pippa joined in with her own contribution. "Yeah, tooth fairy cash! You're so lucky!"

Monty was more interested in the practical applications that such a venture could provide. "What are you going to spend it on?

As Jamie thought about it, he vaguely noticed that clouds had covered the sun, promising more snow. He shivered, a brief cold breeze gusting about.

They were almost back to the park when Jamie thought of something. He stuffed his tooth and slowed down, coming up even with Cupcake, who was in the back. "Hey, Cupcake? I'm glad that you played with us today. It was fun."

She glanced at him, smiling softly. "Yeah, it was. Not many people want to play with me. I look pretty intimidating, and with my temper, nobody comes near me. And besides that, I'm not a fast learner, or a good reader, and my parents say that my head is so far up in the clouds, I'll never come down."

Jamie didn't know how to answer, and looked at her in guilt and surprise.

Cupcake noticed, and took it as her cue to continue. "See, I act like I'm a lot younger that I am. I'm always dressing up, and wearing what most grown-ups say is 'inappropriate for the situation'. Some of the other kids at school – not your friends, - call me names. So when I got the chance to play with you guys today, it made me feel normal for once. Like I could be myself. Thanks for starting the snowball fight. Even if you didn't throw first."

Jamie smiled. "I'm glad I could help. And if you ever, y'know, want to hang out with us, just ask. We'd be more than willing to have you." He held out an open hand, waiting to be accepted.

She took his hand and shook it, tears budding in her eyes. "Thanks. This - it means a lot to me. Oh, and you should know - my name is Cyrene."

Jamie gave a decisive nod. "Welcome to the gang, Cyrene."

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Given the way Cupcake dresses half tough girl, half ballerina, I think that it's a safe bet that she struggles mentally more than the others. I'm not trying to portray her in a bad light; in fact I know what it's like to be in that sort of a situation and I wanted to expand upon what people see and show how that sort of a person might think.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject, so please leave a review. (I won't ask you to read, because how else did you get here?) No flames, please.


End file.
